ASEAN between the US and China

By Lili Yan Ing

Lili Yan Ing is an economist at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) in Jakarta.

The intensifying geopolitical tensions between China and the West have put ASEAN countries, which cannot decouple from either side, in an unenviable position. To build resilience at a time of great-power rivalries, Southeast Asian countries must strengthen regional cooperation.

The recent G7 summit in Hiroshima and the subsequent G20 tourism meeting in Kashmir underscored the stark contrast between the two groups’ rhetoric. While the G20 emphasized its „one Earth, one family, one future“ motto, the G7’s combative attitude could be summarized as „We must divorce China.“

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